


And Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return

by Veynn



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, F/M, More of an introspective of how Eugene and Varian feel towards Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Cass are mentioned, Team Awesome more like they both need therapy, someone please help them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veynn/pseuds/Veynn
Summary: Once upon a time, there had been a thief who died and an alchemist who did not believe in second chances.The sun smiled down on them, and so, their lives began anew.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	And Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return

Flynn Rider was the hero, but he died. But, so did the villain. She had died, but…was it truly a happy end?

With blood pooling around him, and the last remains of the cruel, evil witch whittled into nothing, he should have been happy…and he was. Rapunzel, kind, wonderful, sad Rapunzel—

This would no doubt be traumatizing, but she was freed. Time heals all wounds. Eventually, she would have found a new love, started a new family…or not. It was not any of his business.

Having or not having, it is not an indicator of happiness.

_“Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”_

Dying as he was, he wondered what would happen once he passed away. Would he turn into dust?

….Probably not.

The witch had extended her life far beyond its normal means.

But—

His time in the sun had come and gone. All it had taken was a chance meeting with a lost princess for him to give up his life. A lost princess with magical hair, and a cruel woman who had whisked her away from the happy life she could have had once upon a time.

It was not only Gothel who had died, sad and alone in that cold stone tower all those years ago. Except…that isn’t true. Eugene, he had Rapunzel by his side. But Gothel? She had only herself at the very end of her life.

Flynn may be dead, but Eugene promises to live life to the fullest in his place.

With Rapunzel, he feels as if it is spring every day. For someone who once lurked within the underground, worked for the Baron, it…is a strange change of pace. It is welcoming to have been granted the opportunity to bask in the warmth of the sun.

He did not know where this journey would have taken him, but he did not expect more magical hair, blood-thirsty, heart-broken alchemists, magic, a crazy blue rock lady, magic, death, and even _more_ magic.

Everything had worked out in the end.

Sure, he had met his long lost father and reunited with his childhood friend. Eugene, he in no way shape or form ever expected to have been born to royalty, but he’s not going to question it. He’s long since learned to take these things in stride.

He never expected to live this long, but here he was. Happy and…loved.

At the start of his journey, he had nothing.

But now, he has everything and _more_.

Rapunzel, Lance, even Varian.

There was Cass, who he had come to know as a sister, but…he does not know who she is anymore. Frankly, he does not know if Cass even knows what she wants at this point. He does not hate her, but it will take time to mend what has been broken. Fortunately, thanks to Rapunzel, they both have more than enough time.

Rapunzel had brought them both back to life.

Still, despite everything…Eugene should be happy, he…cannot shake off the feelings of unease he has around Rapunzel’s father, the king. He has flashes of stolen crowns, cold, damp dungeons and a hangman’s noose, but that can’t be right. The king had pardoned him, so why is it that there is wariness in his step around his very presence? He is family, so Eugene should not feel as reluctant as he does.

Crime had significantly gone down under Frederic’s rule. The king is fair and just, except…was he really? Ever since he had come to power, there were less petty crimes in the kingdom.

But, could it really be considered a success if criminals were executed for less? Theft, vandalism—he had grown up with many from the orphanage, but there were those he had conducted jobs with. They…they had been caught and Eugene had never seen them again.

Eugene escaped, but they were not quite so lucky.

In a sense, the kingdom had been saved thanks to Rapunzel’s return. Corona was seeped in the blood of lost souls—those overlooked for one reason or another. The king had grown more ruthless since Rapunzel had been stolen away all those years ago. Thanks to her return, they—

Those who had walked off the path and into the abyss…all of them could begin life anew. Their parents may have made many mistakes in the past…King Frederic……goodness knows his own family has _centuries_ of skeletons buried underneath their kingdom of black rocks, and Quirin…every single one of them caused too many problems.

They all managed to pick up the broken pieces in the end.

And so, Eugene will continue to play his part as a vain fool. If he shudders around his presence, well, it’s certainly not because his appearance is like a beacon of death.

Eugene is grateful that Varian had not been around during those times. His crimes were much greater than his own. Varian was sad, abandoned, alone—he has come to realize that now, but had this been a different time and place—

If Rapunzel had not been there to pardon him, he would be six feet under…as alone and abandoned as those forgotten faces he had known from the orphanage all those years ago.

But, that would not do.

They could not be Team Awesome without Varian.

\---

Varian fears he is evil—the true villain in the story of Rapunzel, the miraculous, kind, wondrous sun drop.

He knows now that he is not. He had been left alone and abandoned for all of those months, but…it was his fault. It was he who had trapped his father in the amber, it was he who had kidnapped the queen, who had nearly crushed Cass, who…

Rapunzel had already gone through so much. He should know better than anyone how it feels to lose one you hold so dear. Those last few months, it had felt as if he would never see the sun again. It felt as if he would never be whole and alive, but as with everything that involves Rapunzel, a miracle happened.

She had saved him in the end. She had forgiven him, even after he had nearly murdered her family.

  
Even moreso, she had freed Quirin. His dad was alive, and it was all thanks to her. He would be in her debt for as long as he lived.

He told her he did not want to kill anyone. But, as for his dad…

That is a hurdle he does not know if he will ever be able to overcome.

He really, truly did not want to kill anyone, or, at least he thinks he did not.

Everything that had happened there was a blur. When he thinks back to that time, back to that place—it is as if there had been a hazy gray filter placed over his eyes. There had been no sense or purpose in the cold, gloomy labyrinth of dungeons underneath the joyful tiles of the Capital.

He had thought he would never feel anything again. Joy, sadness, anger…it had all been squandered away as reality slowly crept up on him—slow and unwavering as the amber that had encased his father.

Quirin was dead.

Ruddiger…he was nowhere to be found.

The raccoon had tried his hardest to remain with Varian, for reasons that he could never understand, but…he had no fault here. Ruddiger was a victim, and so—he was released back into the wild to find his other raccoon friends and live a happy, safe raccoon life.

Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass were off who knows where—having an adventure to fix the problem that he so desperately tried and failed to overcome.

Varian thought he would die alone and forgotten within the confines of the prison he so rightly deserved to be in, but, obviously, those sentiments had not come to fruition.

Andrew was…personally, Varian does not know how to describe the man.

He had done what no one else would do during those sad, lonely months. He had listened to him, and Varian—he thought he finally found a kindred spirit. Someone who could relate to the hate and anguish he felt towards the crown. For once, he felt justified in his vindication, but this so-called friendship…

It was a hollow friendship. Bottomless and unfathomable as he felt when Andrew held him by the scuff of his jacket from a great height. If he had fallen—if he had fell right into those accursed flames, nothing would have remained of him.

Varian knows that this is wrong. He is much too hard on himself, or so he has been told, but….he cannot change himself. He can alter wondrous, fantastic technology of times long gone such as automatons, but himself?

That is a completely different matter.

_“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”_

Would Quirin have cared if he were to somehow wake up from that amber prison only to discover his son gone? With…nothing left to bury him?

He would have been gone, scattered into the wind. It’s unscientific to say, but he would have liked to become a tree. Never moving, but with eons to slowly collect logic…it would not be the worst way to spend an eternity.

Thankfully [or not], Varian is not dead.

There is an irony with how Quirin would have had no choice but to build yet another empty grave beside his wife. Varian wonders if he would have seen her…his dad had once remarked how similar he was to his mother, to Ulla……

Regardless of this kind sentiment, Varian does not believe in an afterlife. Perhaps he did, once upon a time, but—

He is sure he would never meet his mother. Not in life, not in death, and not even in his memories.

Still, he should not complain.

Varian has much to be thankful for.

Here he was, happy and with…the title of ‘Royal Alchemist’ to boot! If he felt unfulfilled with that job, well, he would not say. He should be grateful that he was given the chance to right his wrongs, to correct his wrong-doings.

His entire existence had caused nothing but grief for his father, for the crown, for the people of Corona.

He is happy, and yet, there is a thought that ebbs into his soul.

_Why should he do so much to correct his wrongs? Hasn’t he done enough? Cassandra…she had done far worse than him, but she has not faced punishment. She…she had never apologized to him or……_

_He had been imprisoned and yet she, someone as old and supposedly wise as her—_

No, this is not right.

Varian shakes his head. He should not think this way. Cassandra is a friend, and she…she truly felt sorry for all that she has done. He needs to forgive her. He had forgiven her already, so why is he so angry?

Maybe this is another indicator of just how twisted his soul is. He is drawn to evil, and perhaps this is why Zhan Tiri had spoken to him to what feels like an eternity. She had delved into his mind, into his dreams, and planted knowledge of how to save Cassandra in the thin veneer of friendship, but…why had she chosen _him_ of all people?

It takes evil to truly see evil.

He many not be good, but he will try. Truly, this is the least he could do.

Somehow, Varian thinks back to his imprisonment. Had it been a different time and place…if Rapunzel was not so kind-hearted as to advocate a lesser sentence for him, where…would he be now?

Varian has heard stories of what the kingdom had once been all those years ago. He was too young to fully understand, but in time, he came to realize just how close _Eugene_ had come to death. He is still not fully comfortable in the presence of the king, of royalty, but he can’t help but shudder at the implications.

He may be young, but it wasn’t uncommon for those of lesser ages to be tried for even lesser crimes. Had Rapunzel not been there to save him, would he have visited the gallows?

Eugene…Varian knows just how close he was to execution. The older man is like a brother to him, and Varian is thankful that he is still around to see another day.

They were both saved by the sun.

Varian is thankful Eugene is alive and well. Team Awesome would not be complete without him.

**Author's Note:**

> Earlier this afternoon: "I'm going to write a cute, happy fic about Team Awesome."
> 
> One day I shall write something fluffy, but today...is not that day.


End file.
